A thief who has repeatedly stolen charity boxes has avoided jail after thefts from Morrisons, Costa and Asda. 

Jay Langley, 38, of Ellenborough Road in Sidcup, is a serial offender who has operated in Bexley and Bromley boroughs. 

His most recent court appearance came after he stole a charity box from Costa Coffee in Orpington on July 2, £140 of meat from Asda in Swanley on July 10, and £200 of alcohol from Morrisons in Welling on May 26. 

Langley pleaded guilty to the three thefts as well as driving whilst disqualified and without insurance in Welling. 

At Bexley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (September 18) Langley was given a one-year community order including drug rehabilitation activity. 

Over the next six months he must provide samples to prove he is not using drugs. 

This wasn’t the first time Langley found himself in trouble with the law. 

Last November he was jailed for 15 months after he targeted charity shops, pharmacies and a plumbers in his crime spree across Bexley borough. 

This included stealing from the tills of Sense charity shop in Erith and Scope charity shop in Welling, as well as taking a charity box from Aspire Pharmacy in Sidcup. 

And back in 2018 Langley led police on a high-risk car chase in 2018.  

At one point he careered over the central reservation into the path of an oncoming car, which resulted in a minor collision.  

On that occasion he was given a one-and-a-half year prison sentence and was disqualified from driving for three years.